Columns, Media, Politics

Adrift Over The Atlantic: How The President and The Press Destroyed The Ability Of The Public To Judge Scandals

Below is my column in the Hill newspaper on the recent controversy surrounding The Atlantic article on alleged comments by President Donald Trump disparaging veterans and war dead buried at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. I have been highly critical of President Trump response, particularly his calling for the firing of a Fox reporter for confirming elements of the story.  In truth, Fox did not confirm that Trump called the dead buried at the French cemetery “losers” and “suckers.” Indeed, Fox reporter Jennifer Griffin said today that her source did not hear those references to those buried at the cemetery.  However, there are sources that have said that Trump used such terms to describe Vietnam veterans. Conversely, in an interview with CNN, the author of the article Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was confronted by strong rebuttals by various officials over the assertion that the cancellation of the Trump visit was due to his concern over his hair or a disparaging view of the fallen.  When asked about documents and witnesses suggesting that the cancellation was weather related as claimed, Goldberg simply seemed to shrug and say that those accounts might be true but that Trump still holds disrespectful views of veterans.  That was hardly a resounding defense of those elements of his article. Moreover, when the evidence was presented that the helicopter was grounded, Goldberg noted that the grounding is insulting to Marines who said that they can fly in any weather. However, again, that is not what the story said and it was the military that objected to flying (the issue was not that the helicopter could not fly but that it would have to fly too low for the safety of the President). The problem for many in the public is that we have lost any presumption that either the president or the press is a reliable source in such controversies. Indeed, according to polls, a majority find both untrustworthy. This is where the cost of such eroded trust are the highest. After years of lying or bias, both sides have left the public with no credible basis to know the truth in a major scandal.

Here is the column:

Until this week, the most famous quote related to World War I’s Battle of Belleau Wood was U.S. Marine Capt. Lloyd Williams’ declaration to a French commander: “Retreat, hell! We just got here.” Now, a more famous quote could well become President Trump’s alleged description of the battle’s fallen Americans as “losers.”

Like the war itself, today’s political battle is between entrenched forces — Trump and Republicans on one side, Democrats and the media on the other. In the middle are the rest of us. The lack of movement by public opinion may not reflect an even split of support but, rather, a widespread view of both sides as equally unbelievable.

This latest controversy was triggered by an Atlantic article written by the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. The article alleges damaging statements by Trump, such as dismissing the dead buried at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery as “losers” and “suckers.” What is most striking about this story is that, ordinarily, it would be entirely unbelievable. What person, let alone an American president, would refer to brave Americans in such terms?

The problem is, Trump has made a long line of such unbelievable comments and then lied about them. Indeed, in denying this latest story, he insisted “I never called John [McCain] a loser.” Yet, in 2015, he indeed did say of McCain, a former prisoner of war, “I like people who weren’t captured,” and later referred to the former Republican presidential nominee with “I don’t like losers.”

He later retweeted a headline: “Donald Trump: John McCain Is ‘A Loser.’ ” A Fox News reporter said that her own sources confirmed that Trump disparaged veterans and did not want to drive to the cemetery. Trump has reached a point where there is nothing that most of us would rule out in terms of shocking or offensive statements. He often refers to people as “losers” and allegedly once said that of those who fought in Vietnam instead of getting a deferment or medical exclusion, as he did.

If an article included such an alleged statement by either President Bush, it would have been dismissed instantly as ridiculous. Over the past three years Trump has made himself vulnerable to such allegations, due to his history of outrageous remarks.

Yet the same is true of the media. Three years ago, a story of this kind would have been devastating for any president — but the media has rendered itself as unbelievable as the subject of its current ire. While denouncing Trump as a pathological liar, the media has been pathologically biased. Polls consistently show the media racing Trump to the bottom on trustworthiness. Most of the media now feeds a steady diet of unrelentingly negative stories to a shrinking audience of true believers.

As a result, the media has hit a historic low, with less than half of the populace finding it credible. Some polls show that the only group deemed less trustworthy than Trump is the media. The Knight Foundation has found that three-fourths of the public believe the media is too biased; some 54 percent believe reporters regularly misrepresent facts, and 28 percent believe reporters make things up entirely.

There is a reason for this view of bias: It’s true. Many journalists do not attempt to hide their anti-Trump agendas. In the age of “echo-journalism,” it is even viewed as an essential commitment on some networks. False stories about Trump or Trump aides have been published regularly, only to be quietly withdrawn or “corrected” after the news cycle has run. 

Indeed, as reporters pummeled the White House with angry questions over the Atlantic story, a press conference held by Democratic nominee Joe Biden was the very image of deference and decorum. Reporters seemed to go out of their way to confirm months of criticism over the softball treatment given to Biden. Atlantic staff writer Edward Isaac Dovere asked Biden: “When you hear these remarks — ‘suckers,’ ‘losers,’ recoiling from amputees — what does it tell you about President Trump’s soul and the life he leads?”

There was a time when a statement in a major publication was taken as true. My children, however, have no such presumption about any news source. Even more disturbing, neither do I these days. The Atlantic article embodies the discomfort with movement journalism. It has been the repository of all things anti-Trump, with such articles as “Donald Trump, the Most Unmanly President” and “Donald Trump is a Broken Man.” Past claims in the Atlantic on the Trump campaign, like former Attorney General Jeff Sessions colluding with Russians, were debunked by the special counsel investigation. In an age of echo chamber journalism, The Atlantic is deafening.

The core alleged comment, attributed to unnamed sources, has been denied by a host of officials who were with Trump in France at that time, including figures like former national security adviser John Bolton. The article also states that Trump did not visit the cemetery in part over his concern that the rainy day would mess up his hair, but White House documents show that, as stated at the time, the military notified his staff that the presidential helicopter should be grounded. Bolton has confirmed the weather was the reason and noted that, if this story were true, he would have made it a chapter in his anti-Trump book. Trump might not have wanted to go, but the reason was a bad helicopter day, not a bad hair day.

Other allegations include Trump deriding the death of the son of Gen. John Kelly at his Arlington gravesite. Kelly has not commented on whether Trump expressed disbelief that such men would give their lives for their country: “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” Kelly should now confirm or deny it. Indeed, if true, what many of us do not get is why Kelly would not only ignore such a vile question but continue to serve as Trump’s Homeland Security secretary and, later, as White House chief of staff.

The real story this week is not whether Trump or The Atlantic are lying but why either possibility is viewed as equally plausible. The public is left with an incredible tale told by two equally noncredible sources. That is the real story — and a truly sad one.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. You can find his updates online @JonathanTurley.

118 thoughts on “Adrift Over The Atlantic: How The President and The Press Destroyed The Ability Of The Public To Judge Scandals”

  2. The real story this week is not whether Trump or The Atlantic are lying but why either possibility is viewed as equally plausible. The public is left with an incredible tale told by two equally noncredible sources. That is the real story — and a truly sad one.

    Again, about a half dozen people have said on the record that Goldberg’s article is hooey, and there is contemporaneous documentation on the decision to forego a visit to the cemetery which contradicts Goldberg’s assertions.

    That aside, the press, which was never what it claimed to be, has gone out of it’s way over a period of 25 years to ensure no one takes it seriously. In particular, they’ve elected over the last four years to attempt to take for themselves the market segment that used to be served by Daily Kos and other agencies which we used to call ‘the nutroots’. They’ve done it to themselves. That’s their business model.

  4. One fact that surfaces from Trump’s behavior is that he is a narcissistic megalomaniac and therefore cannot abide being upstaged by anyone. When Trump speaks well of anyone for any reason he bestows these words from a higher value, himself. In almost every field: military, medicine, economics, education, etc Trump has stated that he knows more, is more, and is above all of it. Arguing with medical health officials he performs this self aggrandizement to the point of idiocy. Trump would put his hair above honoring the dead. Mounting the stairs to Air Force One in the rain, there was Trump with an umbrella, followed by his son Barron getting wet. It’s all about the hair.

    Trump always presents himself as the ultimate in any field. However, it is impossible for him to honor vets because that surfaces his own despicable escaping from the draft. He derided McCain, not because he was an opponent but because McCain represented what Trump could never be, great. The same is so with Trump’s other encounters with great military men. They come in having bestowed upon them by Trump, great accolades. Then when they perform as per their greatness, they are sh&$ upon by Trump. Trump knows next to nothing. Trump is all sizzle and next to no steak. Trump inherited whatever he has and is as far from the self made greatness that is a military leader and one who has given his life for his country. Trump cannot deal with this. Therefore, the slips and slaps. Trump may not have said some of the stuff but he has said enough of the stuff to make it more feasible that he did indeed slip up and letting his true self out, call the dead losers and suckers. After all Trump is not a loser or a sucker. When he goes bankrupt he wins and everyone else loses. Trump paid a doctor to get him out of Vietnam. No sucker there.

    Bounce this excrement hard in November.

  5. The Biden campaign is now airing is a “VoteVets” ad featuring parents of fallen servicemen saying “my son was not a loser.” Amazing how quickly they were able to produce a political commercial corresponding with the Atlantic article that had just come out the day before. The Biden campaign began blanketing the airwaves with an ad the very next day, all based on the “if true…” 100% anonymous reporting in the Atlantic story.

    Now Jeffrey Goldberg says there is “more coming.” Of course there is. This is clearly an orchestrated political hit job on Trump being put out by The Atlantic in coordination with the DNC and the rest of the corrupt media.

    In addition to helping lie this nation into the Iraq War, and push out the Russia-gate hoax, Jeffrey Goldberg is also known as Obama’s stenographer. He was Obama’s go-to-journo to get the story/narrative printed just the way Obama wanted it told.

    Jeffery Goldberg is not a reputable journalist. He is a propagandist and Democrat operative. The Atlantic is a disgrace to journalism.

  6. So Jennifer Griffin believes the words of someone who hates Trump. What evidence did they give her that what they said was true. If there was none, then that is not reporting the facts, but reporting what people say. There is a big difference and she should know it.

  7. I haven’t read much on this issue until I read this article and now it looks like that was the correct decision . It would have been a waste of my time to try to figure out who is telling the truth. Instead I spent my time preparing my income tax return and enjoying the last days of summer. Thanks for putting it in perspective Professor Turley.

  8. Sorry – It’s ALL the Press and their 40 year smear campaign on Republicans, starting with Gerald Ford, start U of M QB being called clumsy but Jimmy Carter brilliant; Reagan being called vacuous and dumb but Bill Clinton an intellectual (HAHA) ; Romney and his binders of women and faked lack of knowledge about scanners but Obama the most brilliant man alive and a saviour who could stop the tides. The Press has been lieing for years and running a smear campaign against conservatives – for literally 40 years.

    If you can’t see or understand it with your own eyes, read Sharyl Atkninsons – “The Smear: How Shady Political Operatives and Fake News Control What You See, What You Think, and How You Vote” …
    … then follow it up with Molly Hemingway’s “Justice on Trial “-
    ….then Kirsten Powers “The Silencing”.
    …..Then go congratulate Nick Sandmann, a 16 year old smarter than all the Press and making them pay for the smear campaigns.

  9. The Atlantic journalist who penned a smear piece claiming President Trump secretly disparaged fallen U.S. troops as “losers” and “suckers” is also the same individual other reporters have dubbed the “chief salesman” of the neocons’ Iraq War.

    https://www.infowars.com/atlantic-journo-who-claimed-trump-disparaged-veterans-was-chief-salesman-of-disastrous-iraq-war/

    https://www.infowars.com/saturday-emergency-live-broadcast-soros-terror-squads-burn-loot-buildings-nationwide-good-q-and-bad-q/

  10. Pingback: Adrift Over The Atlantic: How The President and The Press Destroyed The Ability Of The Public To Judge Scandals – JONATHAN TURLEY – Additional survival tricks

    1. Kobe’s tragic helicopter accident should serve as an example of what can go wrong in low visibility conditions while flying a hello. While I’m certain the President has the very best pilots at his disposal, when it comes to the safety of the President, the President Does NOT have the last word. The secret service has the final say and if they and the military agree the margin of safety doesn’t allow the trip, the trip doesn’t happen.
      Anonymous sources have been abused like never before these last 4 years. I’ll believe an on the record statement over an anonymous account. On the record allows me to judge the veracity and motivation of the person divulging the information. Anonymous sources are nothing more than salacious gossip.

      1. Actually the president has the last word. All the secret service can do is strongly disagree, but if the president is adamant about going somewhere he will be accommodated. Everyone serves at the pleasure of the president.
        Marine one can be any helicopter in the military, not just the one everyone knows as marine one.

        Trump has at his disposal any all weather capable helicopter in inventory to safely go where he needs to go. FLIR equipment and highly trained pilots are readily available.

        The excuses are just that, excuses.

        Trump could have driven in a tank if he wanted.

  13. The sad fact is that many Vietnam veterans and other veterans are losers, as are many college graduates and professors up to and including the PHd level (which means “piled higher and deeper.” I am a disabled veteran rated at 80%/100% and see people at the VA hospital and clinics who have never done anything in their lives. Their main goal seems to be getting benefits and more of them. As an author with a web presence, I’ve received Emails from veterans wanting me to corroborate things that never happened in support of a PTSD claim. Many are alcoholics and many are/were heavy drug users. Contrary to popular belief, veterans are not heroes and every man who died in combat didn’t die a heroic death. As for accusations against presidents, they’re nothing new. Nothing happening today is new. The only thing new is instant communications which allow rapid spreading of rumors. By the way, Marines and other military aviators CANNOT fly in “all kinds of weather.” They may be able to fly but not to land, especially in off-airport situations. The Air Force and Marine squadrons responsible for transporting the president operate under strict policies in order to protect the president’s life. As for the story, it was published in The Atlantic, a magazine that has always leaned far to the left, going back to its founding in the 1850s by New England abolitionists. It used to be a decent magazine but now it’s just like the New York Times, another Democratic party rag.

  14. Hello Midday. Hello Fadda!
    Here I am in Camp Grenada.
    You remember: Ernest Flemming?
    He got tomine poisoning after dinner.

    Take me home.
    From journalism.
    I’ve read…enough….BS.
    It’s time to go!

  15. Yes, both Trump and the media lie. If it shocks you that a politician lies, you’re more naive than most. You don’t get to that level without bending the truth, stepping on toes, and making deals with the devil. But when our media routinely and openly lies to further their agenda, they have truly betrayed us and failed to live up to their watchdog role. You often do your best to straddle the fence and place blame on both sides. But in this case you fail to acknowledge the serious damage an untrustworthy media can do to the republic.

      1. Biden got 5 draft deferments to avoid serving in Viet Nam War, including medical deferment for ‘childhood asthma’

        No, Biden received a student deferment in 1960 which was renewed several times. It wasn’t to ‘avoid serving in the VietNam War because there was no VietNam war when he was granted the deferment. There were no combat troops in VietNam in 1960. Prior to March of 1965, the only combat troops in VietNam were ‘military advisers’ training and leading South VietNamese units. They never exceeded 28,000 in number, or about 1% of the active duty military at the time. Over the period running from March of 1965 to January of 1973, the number of troops in VietNam averaged about 360,000, or about 12% of the mean number of active duty personnel during that eight-year period. Most people who enlisted or were drafted during those years were not sent to VietNam and many of those who were were in rear echelon positions out of harm’s way the whole time they were there.

        Again, during the period running from 1948 to 1964, it was the norm to do your military service after you’d finished your degree. If you’re looking men born after 1929 but prior to 1939 (half of them too young for Korea service), about 65% had some sort of military service and 2/3 of the remainder were disqualified. Student deferments delayed your entry into the service. It was atypical for you to be deferred for so long that you ran out the clock.

        Biden actually was atypical inasmuch as he received a deferment for post-baccalaureate study. These were not granted after 1967. In 1965, about 114,000 post-baccalaureate and 1st professional degrees were issued to young men, accounting for about 8% of a typical male age cohort of that era. Roughly 1/4 of these would have been disqualified for service, so deferments for post-baccalaureate study would have been decisive for about 6% of each male cohort. People go to law school to learn a profession. It wouldn’t surprise me to discover Biden did intend to avoid military service (he was a working lawyer for just four years), but I doubt you could find many for whom that was the sole reason or the salient reason they applied to professional schools.

        As noted in other discussions: I-Y deferments for minor medical problems were quite common at the time. About 12% of a typical age cohort of that era received one.

  16. McCain was loser and more, possibly a traitor. I think Trump is so busy he does not always remember what he says about someone, so he just denies it. Cindy McCain extorted Trump into giving her husband a state funeral. We have FOIA messages showing what the weather was and The Beast on those narrow French roads in the rain would be a problem.

  17. When he could not get over to that cemetery near Paris he said:. “It’s sad they were lost”.

  18. You love attempting to be on both sides of the issue but you can’t be. As usual your side is Trump’s side. It’s not surprising as the tone of your writings have changed over the years as you have become the Republicans’ go to guy. I remember the incident relating to his refusal to go to the cemetery. At the time the excuse was weather but that was debunked in real time. It was drizzling! There was no heavy wind or anything of that nature. He just didn’t want to be inconvenienced. Let’s face it if he spit on a veteran’s grave on camera certain people would defend that too. It’s appalling.

    1. Justice:

      Most of us have figured out by now that you don’t like Turley’s writings.

      Why do you keep coming back and b—ching?

      A normal person would have moved on; suggests either a case of TDS or a person with an empty life.

    3. Were you responding to Liberty2nd?
      I’m not on both sides of the aisle.
      Vote for Putin. Or Rasputin. Or Monica.

  20. As long as we have retired generals who claim some kind of moral authority and who shirk behind the scenes Trump gets away with most everything. Mattis did strongly state his opinion and no one cared. Our country as a beacon of freedom is going to be lost in a couple of months and no one cares

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